


Mechanical

by theotheralissa



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2443376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theotheralissa/pseuds/theotheralissa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ohno and Jun are robots, prototypes for an experiment to see if robots can live among people as friends, coworkers and  members of society. Aiba, part of the development and experiment team works closely with Sho, a salaryman chosen to take part in the experiment. But dealing with Sho also means dealing with his nosy friend Nino.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mechanical

**Author's Note:**

> This is mainly gen but I list it as Ohmiya because 99% of the time my intentions are Ohmiya and maybe it comes through like that anyway. XD This is a repost of a fic I wrote back in 2011 with a few tiny edits!

Friendship does not always come wrapped in a neat package. 

But sometimes, Aiba thinks, it might. The package on his doorstep is only slightly taller than he is, and inside of the box is a man. Not a real man, but a mechanical man. One that Aiba is going to let live in his house for one month while he studies how it behaves. A roommate. Of sorts. Aiba couldn’t turn down the opportunity. 

His name is Satoshi. Ohno Satoshi. That’s what the men from Companion Robotics told him when he signed on for the project. The names are generated randomly, and each robot has a different name and a different face. 

They can think. In a sense. And they can feel. A robot brain wired like a human one - responding to stimuli and reacting to the environment around it. But no one knows exactly how it will respond and react and if it will be able to develop its own consciousness. That’s the problem with these things. 

The problem with things that come in packages. 

They’re supposed to be predictable. But this is nothing like any technology that’s existed before. 

So Aiba takes Ohno Satoshi out of his box and sits him down on the sofa in the living room of his two bedroom Tokyo apartment. 

“On,” he says, pressing a small button at the base of Satoshi’s hairline at the nape of his neck. And that’s when Satoshi comes alive. 

There are certain procedures to be followed, but Aiba switches him on before he’s really read through the instruction manual. This isn’t a robot. Not just a robot, anyway. The purpose of CompaniBots is to act like a person, like a friend. More than that, like a functioning member of society. They can have jobs, they can have lives, just like any other person. 

They can have feelings. 

Well, this part is debatable, and the purpose of Aiba’s part in this experiment. Can they have feelings? Can the electronic impulses in their electronic brains create an original thought outside of the map of the programming? That’s why Aiba doesn’t read the instruction manual. 

“Hello,” Aiba says. 

“Hello,” Satoshi replies. “I’m Satoshi.” 

“I’m Aiba.” 

“Nice to meet you.” 

\---

Nino finds the envelope on his officemate Sho’s desk. It’s a large, brown envelope packed with papers and a vague company seal on the outside. 

“CR?” Nino asks when Sho returns from a meeting. “What’s that? Why didn’t I get one?” 

“I have no idea,” Sho says. “You can look at it if you want.” 

“But it’s not mine,” Nino says. “It’s yours.” 

“It’s probably someone trying to sell me something,” Sho says. “I don’t care. You can take it.” 

“You’re not even curious?” 

Sho turns around, giving Nino a severe look. They work together in the same department and have been sharing an office for the last two years. Advertising department for J Electronics, a company that sells household equipment and boasts that their equipment Can Do Anything. Or so that’s what Sho and Nino are to make the public believe. 

Considering his job, Sho knows an advertisement when he sees one, so he picks up the envelope and puts it in Nino’s hands. 

“Open it,” he says. “They’re trying to sell me something.” 

Nino takes a letter opener off of his desk and slides it across the top. The envelope is so packed with papers that it feels solid as a brick. 

“We here at CompaniBot,” Nino reads, clearing his throat. “Believe that everyone should be given a chance for a fulfilling life.” 

“See?” Sho says. 

Nino clears his throat again. “In this modern world, many people feel alone and isolated. The world caters to our personal needs, but only in the most superficial ways. These days, it’s hard to find a companion, a best friend, someone who is always there for you. And that is what we, at CompaniBot (Companion Robotics), hope to provide.” 

“Uh,” Sho says. 

“Should I go on?” Nino asks. “Because this sounds like a lot of fucking crazy talk.” 

“Where is this from anyway?” 

“We’ve chosen you,” Nino goes on. “To take part in an experiment. If you choose to participate, one of our Companions will come to live with you for a period of two weeks. In that time, you’ll get to know them just like you would a new friend. You’ll share hobbies and interests and hopefully have some fun. CompaniBot will provide funds for trips and outings with your new friend. At the end of the trial period, we’ll collect data that will help us in our future endeavors. We plan to bring these fully on the market within the next five years, but we need your help. We can’t do it alone.” 

Sho doesn’t say anything, just watches Nino, waiting for him to conclude. 

“...And neither can you,” Nino reads. “Because a Companion is what everyone needs.” 

“Huh...” Sho says. “I would have used a different slogan...” 

“Creepy,” Nino replies. “Are you going to do it?” 

\---

Each robot is built to have its own particular look. Because they’re supposed to be individuals, they are crafted that way. Sometimes they come out resembling the men and women who built them. But sometimes they look like something else. Maybe a combination of faces seen on trains or one of those people who shows up in a dream that you swear you’ve never seen before. 

The robot they name Matsumoto Jun is one that doesn’t resemble anyone on the engineering staff. But they’re satisfied with his unique look when he comes out finished. He’s given a code of authenticity - an original creation belonging to the CompaniBot company. The same code that will follow him through the trial and after, if there is an after. 

There are fourteen people participating in the trial the Tokyo area. Fifty requests were sent out, but fourteen people replied as being interested. Eight men, six women. The participants complete interviews before they can continue with the trial. There are risks involved, but the same kinds of risks as inviting a new roommate into your home. You might not get along. You might not have anything in common. You might not be able to start a friendship. 

Four days before the trial is to take place, they receive a call from Sakurai Sho. 

“Um, is this Yokoyama?” he asks. “There was an envelope... Your company sent me an envelope.” 

“Ah,” Yokoyama replies. “Thank you for calling.” 

\---

Because Aiba is a special case, he’s given the first CompaniBot completed by the manufacturer. Aiba is part of the development team, but his job is at the tail end of the process - to monitor and test creations after completion. To ask all of the questions that no one else thinks to ask. 

Satoshi is actually Satoshi-1, because he’s the first. But because they are meant to be as human as possible, a separate serial number is created. One that is tucked away in a file that Aiba keeps in his office drawer. Along with the instruction manual, that he’s still yet to read. 

But he does call Yokoyama within moments after he’s opened the package. 

“What am I supposed to do with him?” Aiba asks. 

“Did you read the instruction manual?” 

“Yes?” 

“No you didn’t.” 

“Okay, I didn’t, but--” 

“I’m going to hang up on you.” 

“No wait!” Aiba says. “Listen. You want me to treat him like a human, so that’s what I’m doing. Humans don’t have instruction manuals.” 

“Then what’s the problem?” Yokoyama asks. 

“He’s not talking to me...” 

Aiba can hear Yokoyama chuckling into the phone. He scowls a little. “Did you make him mad?” 

“No, just...” Aiba starts. “Did you program anything into him? Interests or anything?” 

“He’s a blank slate,” Yokoyama says, proudly. 

“But that’s the problem.” 

Aiba opened the package, he pressed the on button and Satoshi came to life, then he introduced himself and asked Satoshi about what he likes and Satoshi went blank. No response, other than his blinking eyes. 

“If we want him to have an original personality,” Yokoyama says. “We can’t just give him one.” 

“But there’s nothing there, nothing to start with.” 

“Introduce him to the things you like.”

“Then he’d just be copying me.” 

“Then introduce him to things you don’t like.” 

“You want me to show him everything? Everything in the world?” 

“You’re really annoying, you know that?” Yokoyama says. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s why you hired me,” Aiba says, smiling against the phone receiver. 

\---

Sho takes two weeks off of work, suddenly and unexpectedly. Nino gets a memo telling him as much, and it doesn’t take long to put the pieces together. A two week trial and a two week vacation. Sho just has years worth of vacation days saved up now since he never takes one. 

The first thing Nino does is call him at home. 

“Hello?” 

“You did it, didn’t you,” Nino says. 

Then there isn’t a response because some kind of static interference pushes through the phone line. Nino hears something that sounds like Sho’s voice, but it’s too distant to make out any words. 

Nino hangs up and sends a text message instead. 

“So you’re a pervert then?” he writes. 

Ten seconds later, he gets an incoming call from Sho’s cell phone. 

“It’s not that kind of a robot,” Sho says. 

“Are you sure about that?” Nino chuckles. “Secret envelopes and whatnot...”

“I know I know,” Sho says. “It’s weird right? Do you want to come by and meet him?” 

“Him?” 

“You know... the robot.” 

“Is he there?” 

“Not yet,” Sho says. 

Nino reaches over to Sho’s desk where he only left one single remnant from the envelope. A business card with a sleek logo. “Companion Robots” reads so that the C and R are connected to each other like circuits. Even the surface of the card is silver and looks mechanical, until Nino folds over the corner and confirms that despite appearances, it’s just paper. 

“Yeah, I’ll meet him,” Nino says. At first this was all a source of amusement, but now a nervous feeling is welling up inside of him. Something about this is just off. “When will he arrive?” 

“Tomorrow,” Sho says. “Around ten. But you’ll be at work, so come by tomorrow night.” 

A joke is on the tip of Nino’s tongue, but he bites it back. He doesn’t understand this, he doesn’t know if he wants to understand it. But he definitely wants to see. 

“Alright,” he says. “I’ll be there.” 

\---

“What do you like?” Aiba asks Satoshi. 

Nothing. 

“What do you hate?” 

Nothing. 

“Can you ask me a question?” 

“What do you like?” Satoshi asks, in a disturbingly similar tone. 

“Hmm,” Aiba thinks about the conversation he just had with Yokoyama. If he tells Satoshi too much about him, he might just become a copy. “What if I don’t want to tell you?” 

“Then I can’t know.” 

“Do you want to know?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“What do you want?” 

Nothing. 

Aiba sighs. 

“Well, let’s start with the basics then,” Aiba says. “Do you eat or drink?” 

“No,” Satoshi says. “But I do need to be recharged at night.” 

“Is it like sleeping?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then me too,” Aiba says, a smile spreading across his face. “I need to be recharged at night, too.” 

“Oh.” 

“But I do eat and drink.” 

“I don’t mind,” Satoshi says. 

“So... is there anything you think you like?” 

Nothing. 

“Anything you think you hate?” Aiba asks, pointlessly. 

Nothing. 

“Well it’s late, so...” Aiba says. “Let’s recharge. And tomorrow we’ll go out.” 

“Okay,” Satoshi says. 

Aiba shows him to the guest room where he can stay. There is a bed, a desk and a chair. A TV and an air conditioner. And an outlet with a practically industrial sized power strip where Satoshi can plug himself in. These CompaniBots are self sufficient. The only thing they can’t do on their own is turn on or off. 

Or understand what they like and don’t like, Aiba thinks, but they’re going to try another experiment tomorrow. 

\---

It’s hard for Sho to sleep, knowing what’s going to arrive at his place the next morning. All he’s received so far is an email with instructions for when the CompaniBot arrives, but everything is a little vague after that. They’ll send an instruction manual so he knows where to begin. Also he’s given a list of names and phone numbers of people he can contact if there are any problems. He’s to provide a spare bedroom for the CompaniBot to stay in, and he’s spent most of the evening cleaning his second bedroom out. 

But now there are so many books in his own room that they’re spilling out of the bookshelves. He doesn’t know what a CompaniBot needs, so he sets the room up with the basics - a place to sleep and a place to sit. An empty closet so that he can keep his things there. Does he have any things? An adjoining bathroom, but does he...? 

It’s probably not too late to back out. Sho could call Yokoyama and tell him it’s off, he doesn’t want to do it anymore. It would probably be fine. But it’s just for two weeks. And it’s not something that Sho wants to admit, but... maybe it is a little quiet in his apartment. He’s in central Tokyo, surrounded by a large part of the population of Japan. But it’s easy to feel alone in this sea of people. Maybe a new friend does sound nice... 

It isn’t late, only around ten at night, but Sho still isn’t expecting a phone call. And especially isn’t expecting it to be Yokoyama. It’s strange hearing his voice on the phone when Sho can’t picture a face to go along with it. Something big and huge and potentially lifechanging is about to show up on his doorstep, but the person who brings it about is nothing but a detached voice. The detached voice is sending a man in the mail who isn’t really a man. There isn’t anything about this that makes any kind of real sense. 

“Sakurai-san,” Yokoyama says, gently. “I know we’ve gone over the procedure for tomorrow, but I’m wondering if we can make a small change.” 

“Sure,” Sho says, not sure why he agrees so quickly. But he’s not the expert here. 

“First of all, we’re sending you a special CompaniBot,” he says. “One that’s just been completed and we’d really like to give him a chance. His name is Matsumoto Jun.” 

“Alright...” Sho says. It doesn’t make a difference, one mechanical man or another. Does it? 

“Also,” Yokoyama continues. “One of our specialists would like to... work closely with this model. He already has a CompaniBot staying at his home, and we don’t want to interrupt the procedure by adding another one. But we do want to test simultaneously, so we’re wondering...” 

“Yes?” 

“We’d like him to be your contact,” Yokoyama says. “It’s not a big change to the procedure, but we’d like you to speak with him at the end of every day and give him a report of what’s gone on. You know, just normal things. What you talked about with Matsumoto, what you did together, that sort of thing.” 

“Actually,” Sho says. “That’s kind of a relief... I mean. This is a little intimidating...” 

“We know,” Yokoyama says. And Sho thinks the “we” is a little oddly misplaced there. How many detached voices are there? “That’s why we’re going to connect you with him tonight, so that you can discuss any questions before Matsumoto arrives. He’s a bit different from the other models.” 

“Different?” 

“Well...” Yokoyama says. “Aiba can explain it to you.” At least, Sho thinks, this second detached voice has a name. 

“Okay,” Sho agrees. 

“We’re putting you through to him now,” Yokoyama says. There is that “we” again. 

Then before Sho can consider it any further, another voice is on the line. 

“Hello?” 

“Can we meet?” Sho asks. 

“In person?” 

“Please,” Sho says. 

\---

Yokoyama doesn’t work in the operations directly, but as the head of this project he has the final say on what goes out the door. They’re sending fourteen CompaniBots out the next day, and when Yokoyama goes down to the shipping department, he sees fourteen boxes all standing in a line. 

“They’re all ready to go,” the shipping manager informs him. “You can check them yourself, whatever you want to do. Then we’ll just need you to sign off on it...” 

“Alright,” Yokoyama says. “Let’s see...” 

He takes an elevator down to the warehouse floor. The boxes are closed and opaque so he can’t see what’s inside of them. They all stand at the same height, and it feels like he might be invading their privacy to look inside. 

On the outside of each box, there are papers documenting the status of each machine. The mechanical elements are all documented - materials used, date finished, electronic frequencies needed. Then on a second sheet, the other stats - 32 years old, brown hair, kind face. 

Yokoyama looks at each one individually and gives his approval in the end. He doesn’t want to open the box and he doesn’t want to pry further than is necessary. But he trusts the team who put them together. 

Now to send them out. Activate them. See what happens. 

\---

Aiba agrees to meet Sho at a cafe near Sho’s apartment. He had intended on giving the information over the phone, but Sho was insistent on meeting. And if Aiba’s being honest... maybe he wants to meet Sho, too. See what kind of a person one of their CompaniBots will be staying with. 

“Thank you for meeting me,” Sho says, bowing formally. 

“Woah, it’s okay,” Aiba says, smiling. “You can relax.” 

They take a seat in the corner, far away from the door. Sho orders tea and Aiba orders juice and a slice of cake. 

“So you have one too, right?” Sho asks. 

“I’d rather say... he’s staying with me,” Aiba says, taking a drink. 

“I guess that’s the way to look at it...” Sho says. 

“It’s probably the way you should,” Aiba says. “Especially with Matsumoto... or from what I’ve heard, anyway.” 

“You’ve never seen it?” 

“Him,” Aiba corrects. “And no, not yet. But he’s what everyone is talking about.” 

“What’s the one staying with you like?” Sho asks. 

Aiba looks down at the table for a moment. He traces the lines of his face on the reflection of the table’s surface. “Do you want to slow down? Get together everything you want to ask me?” 

“Well you’re the expert,” Sho says. “If anyone knows what I should be told, it’s you...” 

“I’m learning, too,” Aiba says, gently. “The one staying with me is Satoshi. But I don’t know anything about him yet.” 

Sho opens his mouth, and Aiba can already anticipate the question that’s about to come out. 

“We’re just getting to know each other,” Aiba says. 

“So that’s how it’ll be with Matsumoto?” Sho asks. 

“Ah, well,” Aiba leans back in his chair. “Matsumoto’s... different. Maybe.” 

Matsumoto was activated for a test run at the facility, like all of them are. He was switched on, and asked some orienting questions. Where are you, what are you, what is your name. He answered them, but then he asked a question too. 

Am I alive? 

It’s not something that has an easy answer, and it was an unexpected question. A highly philosophical question generated inside of Matsumoto’s brain. It could have been placed there, but no one could track the data back to an origin. It just seemed to come from nowhere. 

“We think he might have had an original thought,” Aiba says. 

Sho nods slowly. “Then... that’s the answer right?” Sho asks. “To the question. If you’re wondering if they can have original thoughts then the answer is yes... right?” 

“It’s not that simple,” Aiba says. “So... we want to see if it will happen again. That’s why I want to be in contact with you.” 

“Do you want to meet him?” 

Aiba’s eyes grow wide and he looks like a kid that’s just been offered a truckload of candy. “Really?” 

“Yeah.” Sho shrugs. “You can come to my place and meet him. I’ll give you my address.” 

“I have it,” Aiba says. “You know... Company records.” 

“I see,” Sho says. A look passes over his face and Aiba wonders if he can read it. It looks like something heavy, a thought that’s too big to think. 

“Do you have any more questions?” Aiba asks. 

“Um...” Sho starts. “Can I meet Satoshi?” 

“Yeah... yeah sure!” Aiba says, happy to oblige because this guy seemed like he might be scared off at first. But if he’s taking more of an interest, Aiba isn’t going to discourage him. “Maybe we should wait a few days... just so Satoshi and I can get to know each other a little more. And you and Matsumoto...” 

“Sure,” Sho says. Then he looks up, like something’s just occurred to him. “Can they... uh. Can they meet each other?” 

“Hmm.” Yes or no, Aiba doesn’t know. It wasn’t in the plan. But Aiba can’t ever help himself with these things... It’s exciting to think. If they meet, will they recognize each other? Will they know they came from the same place? That they’re the same type of being? 

“Yeah,” Aiba says, even though he knows he really shouldn't. “Definitely yes.” 

\---

Just like they told him it would, a large box appears at Sho’s apartment exactly at ten o’clock. Well, it doesn’t appear, so much as some guys bring it in a large truck, then carry it up the stairs and ring the doorbell. Sho has to sign for the package, but it’s just like any other package. Like he’s ordered a new end table. 

“Thanks,” Sho says, awkwardly. He doesn’t know if these guys are from CR or not, but they look like ordinary delivery guys to him. Maybe they don’t know that inside of the box there is a man. 

The box stands upright in the middle of Sho’s living room and he walks around it a couple of times. 

Just open it, he thinks. Just open it and see what’s inside because not knowing what’s inside is even weirder than just looking, and seeing. And then his phone goes off in his pocket and he jumps about twelve feet in the air, then manages to drive his knee straight into the corner of the living room table. 

“Um... hello?” Sho says. “Sorry. I mean. Hello?” 

“Is it there?” Nino asks. 

“Just got here,” Sho says, after he's finished rubbing his sore knee he moves his hand along the plane of the box. Just a brown cardboard box. No markings or words. Blank. 

“Well?” 

“Still in the box,” Sho says. 

“You said I could come over tonight, right?” Nino asks. 

“Yeah,” Sho says. “You can if you want but... you have to treat him like you would anyone, okay?” 

“You think I don’t know how to act around a robot?” 

“Just treat him like you would any guy,” Sho says. “Okay?” 

“Yeah, alright,” Nino says. “You don’t have to worry about me or anything. I’ll be nice to your friend.” 

“He’s not my friend yet...” 

“This is all seriously weirding me out, but... I have to see it,” Nino says. 

“Him.” 

“Sorry,” Nino says. “Him.” 

_Am I alive?_ Sho can’t stop hearing those words in his mind. What’s he going to do if Matsumoto asks him that when he opens the box? What would the answer be? 

“I’m going to take him out of the box now so... I’ll see you later?” 

“See you later,” Nino says. “I’ll be working all day to pick up your slack, by the way!” 

“Have fun,” Sho says, sweetly. But he really shouldn’t because it’s not like Nino needs much encouragement... 

“I’ll remember that,” Nino says. 

Sho flips his phone closed, tosses it on the sofa and steels himself in front of the box. 

“I’m going to do it,” he says, out loud. “Quick. Like a bandaid.” 

He rips off one piece of tape, and then another. 

_Am I alive?_

He pushes the cardboard and opens up the front, it opens like a door. And there, suspended in some soft, white styrofoam is a man. Taller than himself, with a strong face and distinct features. He has long legs and a broad frame. Dark hair that nearly reaches his shoulders, one side tucked behind his ear. And Sho wonders for a moment if Matsumoto styled it that way or if someone else pushed his hair behind his ear just before they packed him into a box. 

“Okay,” Sho says. “Okay.” 

A small piece of paper about the same size as a receipt drifts out from inside the box and lands next to his foot. Sho picks it up and only one sentence is written there. 

_Back of the neck. On switch._

“Okay,” Sho says, one more time. Then reaches around Matsumoto’s neck and feels for the switch. 

He presses it. 

Matsumoto opens his eyes. 

\---

“Do you like... music?” Aiba asks. 

Nothing. 

“Do you like movies?” 

Nothing. 

“Do you like parks?” Aiba asks, and they pass right by a large park, but Satoshi doesn’t seem interested in taking that path. 

“Why do you want to know what I like?” Satoshi asks. 

“Because, well...” Aiba says. “I want to know what makes you... you!” 

Satoshi shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says. 

“Well,” Aiba says. “That’s what we’re going to find out.” 

“Did you make me?” 

“No...” Aiba says. “But you know who made you, right?” 

They’re supposed to be programmed with that knowledge, at least. Three basic pieces of information - who they are, where they are, and who made them. That Satoshi would ask means that something is wrong, Aiba thinks. Something to make a note of when they get back--

“Oh,” Satoshi says. “I remember.” 

Still, it’s something that Aiba writes down when they get back to the apartment. Satoshi has a quirky kind of personality. He seems like he’s not paying attention, but there is a sharp look in his eye that Aiba catches sometimes. He’s watching everything very closely. When Aiba asks him questions about the park, Satoshi will count how many trees he sees inside of it. He’ll point out a girl playing with a frisbee and an older man walking a dog. 

He observes everything around it, but doesn’t give opinions about it. He hasn’t expressed his own feelings. He’ll point out the dog, but won’t say whether it’s cute. He’ll point out the frisbee, but won’t say if it seems fun. All of these notes go into Aiba’s file documenting everything that Satoshi has done and said since Aiba brought him home. The hard copy rests next to the still as of yet unread instruction manual. 

“I like curry rice,” Aiba says. He knows Satoshi won’t copy that one, since Satoshi doesn’t have the capability to eat. 

“Hmm,” Satoshi says, looking in a shop window at the plastic facsimile of what a plate of curry rice should look like. “Does it taste good?” 

“Really good,” Aiba says. 

“I can't eat it,” Satoshi says. 

Aiba scribbles in his notebook. Find a way for them to eat.

\---

Nino rings the doorbell impatiently. All he wants to see is the robot. Or Sho’s new roommate. Or however he’s supposed to address this machine, this thing, this guy. 

“Jun,” Sho says when he comes to the door. He pokes his head out through a small space, clearly not ready to let Nino inside yet. “His name is Matsumoto Jun, but he wants us to call him Jun. He’s... nice. Kind of quiet. So far, he likes to read...” 

“Can you let me in?” 

“Oh!” Sho says. “Yeah. Yes. Sure.” 

“You don’t have to be so nervous,” Nino says. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.” 

“Please just--”

Nino pushes in the door and Sho nearly stumbles back. It’s funny, so Nino laughs, but when Sho hunches over, Nino can see a figure behind him, long legs stretched out in front of him on the couch. 

He’s reading a magazine, and looks up over the top of it when Nino comes in the door. 

“Hello,” he says. “I’m Jun.” 

“I’m Nino,” Nino says, staring. 

“Don’t stare,” Sho whispers. 

“It’s okay,” Jun says. “He’s probably just curious, right?” 

“This is so cool,” Nino says. 

Sho sighs loudly. “I told you, Nino. Just treat him like anyone else!” 

“It’s alright,” Jun says. “I don’t mind.” 

“See?” Nino says. “He doesn’t mind.” 

“Fine,” Sho says. “I’ll make some tea or something...” 

“Do you drink?” Nino asks Jun. 

“No,” Jun says. “I don’t eat or drink. But I do sleep.” 

“This is so cool...” Nino repeats. 

“I’m like a human,” Jun says. “But slightly more efficient. I can see why that might be fascinating to someone like you.” 

“Someone like me?” 

Jun shrugs, looks down at his magazine. 

“Are you being cocky?” Nino asks, amused. 

“Of course not,” Jun says, looking back at his magazine and turning the page, casually. 

“I like your new friend,” Nino yells so Sho can hear him in the kitchen. Then he turns back to Jun. “Have you ever seen a magic trick?” 

“No,” Jun says. 

“Do you know what one is?” Nino asks. 

“I’m mechanical,” Jun says. “I’m not stupid.” 

“Well I don’t know what you know,” Nino says. “How old are you?” 

“Four days,” Jun says. 

Nino sighs. “Then I am _much_ more mature than you are,” he says. 

He brandishes a deck of cards from the back pocket of his jeans. Sho comes back into the living room with a tray and two cups of tea. 

“Seriously,” Sho says. “You brought those with you?” 

“I always bring them with me, Sho-chan," Nino says. “Pick a card, J." Nino fans the cards out, holding them so they’re just within Jun’s reach. “Memorize it and then put it back.” 

"He said to call him Jun," Sho says, through his teeth. 

"I don't mind," Jun says.

He picks a card, glances at it for a moment, then slides it back inside the deck. 

Nino can tell that Sho isn’t watching. Or, he’s half watching, but really he’s focused on Jun. Nino doesn’t blame him too much. Besides, he knows Sho has seen this trick before. But the most interesting part of Sho’s living room right now is the guy sitting on his sofa. 

And he really does look like that. Just some guy. A tall guy and a handsome guy. He almost looks like a celebrity. In appearance, and in the way he handles himself. If Nino passed him on the street, he might turn and wonder who he was or if he’d seen him in any recent dramas. It’s just this aura about him. 

If Nino didn’t know he wasn’t real, he wouldn’t think twice about it. He’s shaped exactly like he should be. Even when his fingers brush against Nino’s when he’s putting his card back into the deck, they feel exactly like fingers should feel. His skin feels exactly how skin should feel. It’s fascinating, and when Nino looks over at him, he can tell Sho is thinking exactly the same. 

“That’s your card,” Nino says. “Isn’t it?” After some flourishing, Nino lets Jun turn over a card and watches his eyes widen in surprise. 

“Wow,” Jun says. “That was cool.” 

“I’m pretty efficient, too,” Nino says, smugly. 

He shuffles the deck again and looks over at Sho. They have an entire conversation without saying a word. This is okay. Nino is okay with this. Sho is okay. Even if he looks like a bundle of frayed nerves. 

“Your turn,” Nino says, fanning the deck of cards out in front of Sho. 

\---

“He’s really... not like I expected,” Sho says into the phone. Aiba doesn’t say much during the conversation other than some “uh-huh”s and “I see”s. Sho can hear him frantically typing as if each word he says is important. 

“He’s relaxed, but he’s... well he’s not shy about the fact that he’s a machine,” Sho says, which sounds weird to him even when he says it. “He spent most of the day reading, we watched TV for a little while and talked...” 

“Go on,” Aiba says, still typing at lightening speed. 

I invited one of my friends over because he wanted to meet him,” Sho continues. “They got along really well...” 

“Oh?” Aiba says. “Most people doing this experiment are keeping pretty isolated. Or if they invite others over, they don’t tell them the truth. This is still pretty experimental...” 

“Trust me,” Sho says. “Even if he didn’t know, he would have figured it out.” 

“I doubt it,” Aiba says. “They’re built to be exact replicas of humans.” 

“No, I mean...” Sho says, sheepishly. “Me. I suck at keeping anything from him. Or anyone.” 

“I see,” Aiba chuckles. “Anything else?” 

“Do you still want to come by and meet him?” 

“Yeah!” Aiba says, nearly jumping in his seat. He wants to. Really, really wants to, but it hasn’t been approved by the team in charge of the trial. It’s not something that Aiba wants to tell them about because they might just make him sign a lot of papers in order to do it. Just a formality, but it will take time pushing those papers through twenty different departments and maybe they don't really need to know... 

“And you’ll bring Satoshi?” Sho asks. “I’m just... curious. Jun wasn’t anything like I expected him to be and I’d really like to meet Satoshi, too...” 

Aiba swallows. Because... no. No he really shouldn’t. However many papers will need to be signed before he can meet Jun... well, it would be about twice as many before they’d allow Jun to meet Satoshi. 

But what if it was by chance? What if none of this was planned and they all just happened to meet? What if that’s what the report ends up saying? 

“I’ll bring him,” Aiba says, bubbling with excitement. “What time?” 

\---

“Do you like this type of weather?” Aiba asks. It’s a beautiful, sunny day. Anyone should be able to say yes to that. So Aiba thinks. 

Nothing. 

“Do you like rainy days?” 

Still nothing. 

“Will you get tired of asking me those questions?” Satoshi asks. It’s something that might sound sarcastic out of context, but it’s not his intent. It’s true, Aiba is still trying to find out his personality. Even more after talking to Sho and hearing about how easy it was for him to discover Jun’s. 

“Probably not,” Aiba says. “I’m persistent.” 

They walk to the train station, transfer twice and then walk beside a long park on the way to Sho’s apartment. The walk runs along a riverside with trees that aren’t anything special right now, but by the end of the autumn will be a thousand shades of red and orange and yellow. Aiba wonders if Satoshi will like them. Maybe by the time it’s autumn, Satoshi will like them. 

For now, Aiba doesn’t say anything, just studying the hand-drawn map in his notebook as Satoshi walks beside him. They walk two buildings too far and have to back up, but Satoshi doesn’t say anything because he never seems to be in a hurry. 

“I... think this is it,” Aiba says, holding the map upsidedown, then turning it sideways, then deciding that this looks like the place. 

Jun answers the door. 

“Oh!” Sho calls from behind him. “Sorry I was on the phone but--” 

It all happens too fast, but there he is, face to face with Matsumoto. The one no one can stop talking about. 

“Nice to meet you,” Aiba says, trying to stay calm even though he’s smiling so hard his face hurts. He bows about halfway and Jun returns the gesture. 

“Nice to meet you too,” Jun says. “And you.” He turns to Satoshi. 

Aiba has to fight the urge to pull out a notepad and document everything about this moment. He wants to pick apart everything about this encounter, every look, every second. Because while CompaniBots have been programmed with basic knowledge - encyclopedias, dictionaries, anything that a person of their apparent age should know - they aren’t programmed to recognize another CompaniBot for what he or she is. 

They lock eyes and Aiba can feel some kind of excitement building from his toes all the way up. Whatever it is, it’s a discovery. And he can’t get enough of those. 

“Come in,” Sho says, breaking right through the moment, but Aiba’s already seen the beginning of something fascinating. 

They all sit in the living room. Aiba, Jun and Sho sit together on the large sofa and Sho pulls up a chair. The atmosphere is a little tense, but Jun is the first to speak. 

“He’s a CompaniBot, too,” Jun says. 

Aiba nearly leaps out of his seat. 

“How did you know!” he asks. 

“Because you’re acting really weird,” he says. “And I know who you are. I saw your picture at the lab.” 

Aiba deflates immediately. Sho starts laughing. 

“I’ll make tea,” Sho says. 

Jun informs Aiba that it’s creepy when he sits there staring at him and Satoshi, waiting for them to talk. So instead Aiba starts talking about food, which is an even worse subject, considering that neither of them eat. 

The atmosphere becomes more and more heavy, but Aiba wonders if maybe he’s looking at this wrong. He keeps seeing everything through the eyes of an observer, but he might be missing the point of the trial. The participants were told repeatedly that they’re to treat the CompaniBot as a friend. A guest in the house. To Aiba it’s been about poking and prodding and seeing what might happen. 

He leans back against the couch. No one is speaking, so there is still an awkwardness hanging in the air. But he turns quickly to Jun. 

“So...” Aiba says. “Nice weather today.” 

“It was nice,” Jun says. “Nicer than yesterday. But I think I prefer when it’s a little cloudy.” 

“Ah,” Aiba says. “Me too.” And he tries not to act so giddy when Jun specifies a preference. 

Satoshi is seated on the other side, just listening to the conversation. Sho comes back with only two cups of tea, which looks a little lonely considering that four seats are being used. But that can’t be helped. 

Sho has just sat down and made himself comfortable when the doorbell rings again. 

“I’ll get it,” Jun says, and the fact that Jun seems to prefer to answer the door is another thing Aiba files away mentally. 

“Hey!” comes a voice from the doorway and Jun greets him in kind. 

“I’ll get another cup,” Sho says. “That’s my friend Nino. Who was not really expected, but...” 

“Oh?” Nino says, when he enters the room. He turns to Jun. “Your friends?” 

“Sort of,” Jun says. He points to each of them as he says their names. “This is Aiba. And Satoshi.” 

The look between Nino and Satoshi is even more interesting than the one Aiba observed between Satoshi and Jun. 

“He’s like me,” Jun says. 

“Yeah,” Nino says. “I thought so...” 

“You did?” Aiba asks. 

“Well, no...” Nino says. “But it would be pretty awesome if I could tell.” 

He appears fascinated by Satoshi all the same. Even coming closer to the sofa and kneeling in front of him so that they’re eye level. Satoshi just looks right back at him, not breaking the gaze. 

“He did this to me, too,” Jun says. “I didn’t mind.” 

“I don’t mind,” Satoshi says. So Nino seems to take it as permission to take a closer look. 

He looks at Satoshi for a long time, but stays about an arms length away. He walks around to the other side of the sofa and looks at the back of Satoshi’s head for a while. Then he comes back around to the front and sits on the floor again. 

Sho comes back with another cup of tea. 

“I told you to treat them like people,” Sho says. 

“I am,” Nino replies. 

“Okay,” Sho says to Aiba. “He does sometimes treat people like this...” 

“Remember when we were first in the same office together?” Nino says to Sho, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of Satoshi. 

“Yeah I remember that!” Sho says. “Did you think I was a machine too?” 

“You know,” Nino says. “I still wonder sometimes...” 

Jun smiles. 

“Actually no,” Nino says. “Because I’m still doing all of your work and I think machines would be a little more efficient than that.” 

They stay for a couple of hours and Aiba forgets where he is. Forgets that he’s supposed to be studying and observing, but instead laughs when Sho tries to make jokes, marvels at Nino’s impromptu card trick. Somehow Sho and Jun get into a discussion about politics and Nino excuses himself to use the bathroom. 

Satoshi doesn’t say anything. He hasn’t said anything for most of the night. 

So at the end of the evening, when everyone is winding down, Aiba doesn’t really expect him to speak. Maybe that’s his personality. The strong, silent type. 

“I like him,” Satoshi says, pulling Aiba jarringly out of his thoughts. 

“What?” Aiba asks. 

“That guy,” Satoshi says. “Nino. I like him.” 

\---

“Yokoyama-san,” Aiba says, but it’s a recording on his voicemail because it’s too late for anyone to be picking up the phone. By the time Aiba and Satoshi arrive back at Aiba’s apartment, it’s past two in the morning. Aiba doesn’t want to question Satoshi too much about what happened, because he’s taking this new approach - just be friends with him, get to know him. But he can’t ignore what Satoshi said. 

“Yokoyama-san,” Aiba starts again. “Please call me in the morning. I think Satoshi had an original thought.” 

The next morning, Aiba plans to retrieve the data from the time that Satoshi was at Sho’s apartment. Review it and find out when the thought started. He can map the data from Satoshi’s brain at that moment and send it back to the lab for analysis. 

This is why Aiba does this job. These moments of discovery make everything worth it. Seeing something new, something no one has ever seen before. Aiba squeezes his hands into tight fists and taps his feet on the floor excitedly. 

He’s so lost in his thoughts that when his phone goes off again he nearly drops it. 

But when he looks at the number coming in, it’s one he’s never seen before. 

“Hello?” 

“Hey, um... I got your number from Sho-chan.” 

“Is this Nino?” Aiba asks. 

“Yeah,” Nino says. “I... This is stupid.” 

“What is it?” 

“Can I see Satoshi again?” Nino asks, his voice sounds so small when it reaches Aiba’s ear and it makes Aiba smile a little. 

“Sure,” he says. “When do you want to see him?” 

\---

At first, Nino doesn’t tell Sho that he’s going to see Satoshi again. First of all, because Sho might think he’s crazy. 

Well, no. Nino is pretty sure he’s crazy. It’s just that the fewer people who know about it, the better. 

Telling Aiba is a necessary evil because Aiba is the one Satoshi is living with. Nino comes to the door, feeling small and ridiculous. He shoves his hands in his pockets while he waits for Aiba to answer. But it isn’t Aiba who comes to the door, it’s Satoshi. 

“Ah,” Nino says, startled. 

“Hi,” Satoshi says. 

“Hi.” 

“Do you want to come in?” 

“Yeah,” Nino says, then slips in the door and takes his shoes off. 

The first thing he sees is Aiba sitting at his computer typing about a thousand words a second. He’s comparing two charts with each other, or that’s what it looks like. 

“We talked for a long time last night,” Satoshi says. “He put some electric things on my head and told me to tell him stuff.” 

“Oh?” Nino asks. “What kind of stuff?” 

“How things made me feel?” Satoshi says. “I don’t know. But I guess whatever I said was interesting because he won’t stop typing.” 

“Oh,” Nino says. “Do you want to go to a movie?” 

“Sure.” 

They leave without saying anything to Aiba. Nino wonders if that’s okay, but... Sho told him that they’re supposed to be treated like people and it’s not like Nino would have to ask a roommate for permission to leave and see a movie. Although he might say bye to them first, but maybe neither of them could have broken Aiba away from his work even if they tried. 

Nino doesn’t know this area as well as the blocks closer to his place and his work, but there is a movie theater a few stations down. They ride the subway together and it’s crowded so both of them have to stand. The train jerks and Satoshi’s arm touches Nino’s. Like a real arm. A real elbow. Even hurts like one. 

“Ow...” he says. But Satoshi doesn’t respond. 

The movie theater isn’t very crowded, but it’s a week night. They stand outside looking at the posters. 

“Which one do you want to watch?” Nino asks. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Well which poster do you like?” 

“Hmm,” Satoshi says, scanning them from left to right. “That one.” 

He points at one with vivid colors and two characters in the midst of a fight. Some action movie that Nino isn’t really familiar with. 

“Why that one?” 

Satoshi shrugs. “It’s a cool poster.” 

What’s weird about watching a movie with Satoshi is that he doesn’t eat. Nino gets popcorn and juice, but Satoshi doesn’t share it with him. The popcorn and juice both sit there half unfinished. But Satoshi just watches quietly. 

It’s not the most interesting movie Nino’s ever seen, but it’s alright. Satoshi watches it carefully, hardly blinking. That’s when Nino realizes he's been watching Satoshi rather than the movie. And he does blink. Nino counts the seconds between them. There isn’t any pattern to it. 

After the movie, Nino checks his phone and finds four missed calls from Aiba. And one text message that says nothing but “????” 

“Your mommy’s looking for you,” Nino says. Then he flips his phone open and returns the call. 

“Are you with him?” Aiba asks. “Is he with you?” 

“Yeah,” Nino says. “We went to a movie. But I’ll bring him back before his curfew.” 

He hears Aiba breathing a long sigh of relief. 

“You know,” Nino says. “If you don’t want me to run off with your things you should keep a better eye on them!” 

“I was a little wrapped up in my work...” Aiba says, sheepishly. 

“Yeah, I could tell.” 

“He’s amazing,” Aiba says. 

Nino looks over at Satoshi. He’s quietly watching people walk by on the sidewalk in front of him, and it seems like there is something going on behind his eyes. For a moment, Nino just watches Satoshi’s eyes dart from one person to the next. 

“He’s...” Aiba starts, and Nino turns his attention back to Aiba’s voice on the phone. “He’s thinking. About lots of things. He likes colors and movement. He started drawing last night and then asked if I had any paint.” 

“So, did someone make him that way?” 

“What?” 

“I mean...” Nino asys. “Certain robots are made for certain things right?” 

“Did Sho-kun tell you the point of this experiment?” 

“No...” 

Aiba tells him about Jun. Jun is what they think to be the first robot to express an original thought. And now the second might very well be Satoshi. But with Satoshi it hasn’t been just one thought, it’s been many. A flood of thoughts coming out of him since the night before. 

“I haven’t been able to directly analyze the other CompaniBots involved in the experiment, but...” Aiba says. “It’ll be interesting to compile the information when the trial is finished.” 

Two weeks. A two week trial. 

“What happens?” Nino asks. 

“What do you mean?” 

“After the trial,” Nino says. “What happens after that?” 

“Well,” Aiba says. “They’ll be deactivated and then we’ll study the results. This is the first test run so there will be another round of tests. Probably several...” 

Nino looks back at Satoshi. He’s watching a girl walk by and she’s wearing a light orange skirt that’s moving in the breeze. Then his focus changes to a young boy holding his mother’s hand. Then to a woman carrying a box, a man running, weaving through the sea of bodies. 

“You’re going to switch him off,” Nino says. 

There is silence on the other end of the line. 

\---

There is something interesting for Sho to report to Aiba at the end of every day. A couple of times Jun goes out by himself. He wants to go for a drive, or to go shopping. Sho lets him go on his own, because he is supposed to be treating Jun like a person. As the two weeks comes close to an end, Sho is having a hard time even remembering to think of him as a machine. 

He expresses thoughts and opinions on nearly everything they encounter. So much that Jun starts keeping a record of it himself.

Jun comes back from an afternoon in the city with a small notebook under his arm. 

“I wrote them all down for you,” he says. “Even the times.” 

_1:07 - Enjoyed some music in the park. Two guys playing guitar and a girl singing with them. Sounded nice enough so I watched them for about 23 minutes._

_1:40 - Wondered again what it might be like to taste. Stopped outside of a restaurant and tried to decide which taste I’d like the best just by look and scent. I think I’d like the pasta._

_2:13 - Passed by a travel agency. Wanted to see the world._

“Thanks,” Sho says, closing the notebook. “I’ll tell Aiba about it.” 

“You’re welcome,” Jun replies. 

“Is there anything else you want to do?” Sho asks. “You’ll only be with me for two more days.” 

“I don’t like to think too much ahead,” Jun says. “I think I’ll decide tomorrow.” 

“If I’d known you were so independent, I wouldn’t have taken any time off of work.” 

“I would have told you ahead of time,” Jun says. “But I wasn’t switched on yet.” 

Jun laughs, and Sho smiles a little, too. It’s fascinating. So much that Sho isn’t sure that it would be accurate to call him a robot anymore. He’s just a differently built man. Maybe even someone Sho wants to call a friend. Wasn’t that the point in the first place? Isn’t that why they’re called Companions? 

“I’m going to recharge early,” Jun says. “I’m a little tired.” 

“You get tired too, then?” Sho asks. 

“Yeah,” Jun says. “I thought a lot today.” 

When they come two days later to take Jun back to the lab, he doesn’t hesitate before getting back into his box. He’s very polite, tells Sho thank you for letting him stay in his home, it was very comfortable and he’d like to meet again, if they can. 

Sho expresses the same gratitude. It was time well-spent together. And he wants to meet again, too. Then they both say goodbye, and Sho switches him off. 

“Is it possible to meet him again?” Sho asks Aiba later when he calls to give his last report. 

A long stretch of silence and then Aiba speaks. “It’s not my department,” he says. “So I don’t know.” 

\---

Nino is almost startled when Sho comes back to work. He’s so used to being alone in that office, that it feels unnatural to have Sho there. There at work and not at home with Jun, he thinks. But even though Sho is back, it doesn’t have much of an impact on the state of the office. It’s just as quiet as it was when he wasn’t there. 

“They took him back,” Sho says, sometime around ten o’clock. He’s been there at the office since eight thirty, but this, aside from a brief greeting when he first arrived, is the first time he really speaks. 

“Jun?” Nino asks. 

“Yeah,” Sho says. “Yesterday they came and picked him up.” 

“Are you okay?” Nino asks. Then thinks maybe that’s a weird question to be asking, although under the circumstances, Nino isn’t sure what can be considered a weird question anymore. 

“Yeah,” Sho says, quickly. “I’m fine.” 

But he doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the day. 

Nino remembers that thick, brown envelope. The one that he found on Sho’s desk just a couple of weeks before. It doesn’t feel like a couple of weeks, but more like he doesn’t exactly remember the time before when he could distinguish easily between men and machines. 

He thinks about calling Aiba, but convinces himself not to. At least three times before lunch, and then four times after. Nino knows that he’s not one to resist, so it’s only a matter of time before he gives in to himself, but he wants to at least pretend for a moment that he hasn’t lost his mind. 

After work, Nino passes by a movie theater. Not the same one that he went to with Satoshi, but the same movie is playing there. The one that didn’t turn out to be very interesting, but had quite an interesting poster. Nino takes the train home and watches all of the people stepping on and off of the platforms. Each one with a life and a story. A beginning and an end. Nino rubs his eyes because he’s pretty sure he’s giving himself a headache. 

He arrives home after it’s dark. Then does the thing he’s been convincing himself not to do all day. 

“This is crazy,” Nino says, into the phone. “But I have to ask you something.” 

“Alright,” Aiba says. “What is it?” 

\---

Jun has already returned to the lab, but Satoshi is still in Aiba’s apartment. His experiment is a on a different timeframe from the others. But once Aiba knows that Jun has been sent back, it already feels like Satoshi isn’t there anymore. Like this is borrowed time and there isn’t anything Aiba can do to make it move any more slowly. 

He buys Satoshi a set of paints at the craft store, even though Aiba doesn’t know much about paint himself. But he gets them on a recommendation from a nice girl at the shop, and Satoshi’s eyes light up when Aiba gives him the package. 

“Is that what you wanted?” Aiba asks. 

“Exactly,” Satoshi says. 

Satoshi opens up a large sketchbook. All day he’s been working on a drawing, on and off. It’s abstract, from far away, but when Aiba gets closer he can see the details of the lines. Satoshi begins to add color and Aiba can start to see that they’re human-shaped. It’s a long, winding street with more people than Aiba can even count. 

“You’re going to color them all in?” Aiba asks. 

“Yeah.” 

“Why do you like drawing?” 

“I like looking,” Satoshi says. “I like watching and seeing things and then I want to draw what I see.” 

“I’m no good at drawing,” Aiba says, laughing. 

“Maybe you could learn if you tried,” Satoshi says. 

“I guess I’m not that interested in it,” Aiba admits. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Satoshi says. “You never told me much about what you like and what you don’t like.” 

Aiba smiles. “You’re right,” he says. “I like learning.” 

“What do you like learning about?” 

“Everything,” Aiba says. “I want to know how everything works, and then I want to know why it does what it does. I like actions and reactions.” 

“Yeah,” Satoshi says. “I guess that’s why you keep typing.” 

“My keyboard is in pretty bad shape.” 

“I bet,” Satoshi says, filling in one of the forms and giving her an orange skirt. 

Aiba’s phone goes off and it starts buzzing wildly on the table. 

“Hello?” 

“This is crazy,” Nino says. It’s distinctly his voice, even if he sounds a little frayed. “But I have to ask you something.” 

“Alright,” Aiba says. “What is it?” 

“Can he stay with me?” 

“What?” 

Nino sighs into the phone. “Satoshi,” he says. “You’re just going to switch him off, right?” 

“Well,” Aiba says, then he backs out of the room where Satoshi is drawing so that he can talk to Nino more privately. This is a dangerous conversation to have. And one that Aiba didn’t anticipate. “First we have to study the data collected, then we have to log the results. Then we’ll discuss where the trials have to go from here.” 

“And after that?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Yes you do,” Nino says. “You know. Are they going to take him apart?” 

“I really don’t know,” Aiba says. “It’s not what I do. The might take him apart, or the might keep him in suspension. I’m not sure.” 

“Then let him stay with me.” 

“Why do you want him so stay with you?” 

“Don’t do that,” Nino says. His voice sharp and low.

“What?” 

“Don’t study me,” Nino says. “I know what you’re getting at.” 

Aiba doesn’t say anything, just waits because he knows Nino will go on. Aiba’s thought about it too. What’s going to happen when Satoshi goes back to the lab. He’s not lying to Nino, but he really isn’t sure what’s going to happen next. But he doesn’t think there is a very good chance of Satoshi leaving again. He’ll be a prototype, something they’ll want to keep for comparison to newer versions. He’s the first. Satoshi-1. 

“I like him,” Nino says. “I like talking to him and I like hanging out with him and I’d really like it if he came and stayed with me. Please.” 

“It’s not my decision to make,” Aiba says, quietly. 

“Then whose is it?” 

“I’m on the development team,” Aiba says. “There are ten others. Above us, there is a committee of five people that has been overseeing the experiment procedures. They’re going to determine the results of this experiment, and they’re going to oversee the next round of trials.” 

“And?” Nino asks. 

“Three chairpeople and then the president and vice president of CR,” Aiba says. “This isn’t a side project. This is the future of CR as a company and the fact that you’re involved with this is something I’m going to have to keep entirely off of the records.” 

“But why can’t he decide?” Nino asks. “He has thoughts, he has feelings.” 

Aiba twists the fabric of his shirt between his fingers. 

“He’s real, isn’t he?” Nino asks. 

_Am I alive?_ Even though Aiba wasn’t there when Jun said those words, originally. He can imagine what they sounded like in Jun’s voice. It’s that same question. Does it even have an answer? 

“Anyway,” Nino says. “I understand. Thanks.” 

Aiba listens to the silence for a while before he closes his phone and sets it down on the table. 

“You can use me for whatever you need,” Satoshi says. “I know the data is important, so whatever you need me for I don’t mind.” 

“I’m sorry,” Aiba says, not really sure why he apologizes or what he’s apologizing for. But it feels like the right thing to say. Satoshi even nods a little, like he accepts it. 

“I just want to finish my painting first,” he says. 

“If you could choose,” Aiba starts, “where would you want to go after this?” 

“With Nino,” he says. Then he turns back to his painting. After a moment, Aiba can hear Satoshi’s paintbrush swirling around inside of a water glass. 

\---

Three days after Jun is taken back, Sho receives a call from Yokoyama. He has some followup questions about Jun and Sho’s impressions of him. Standard questions, much like the ones Aiba asked him. Sho retells Yokoyama everything he told Aiba to the best of his memory. But a part of him doesn’t want to talk about it because then he might start talking about how his apartment feels empty without Jun there. 

Although, maybe that’s what Yokoyama needs to hear. 

“The point of this,” Sho says. “It was to find out if a robot could become a friend, right?” 

“That is our main purpose, yes,” Yokoyama says. 

“I’d like to see Jun again if I can,” Sho says. “We got along really well.” 

“I see,” Yokoyama says. “That’s great to hear.” 

“Can I see him again?” 

“That’s something we’re still in the process of discussing,” Yokoyama says. “We’ll be going over the results for the next few weeks and then someone from the office can get in contact with you. Is that alright?” 

“That’s fine,” Sho says. But somehow it feels like the last time he spoke to Jun was a goodbye. 

\---

Satoshi finishes the painting only a few hours before he has to get back into his box. Aiba remembers the day that Satoshi first arrived. The instruction manual is still in the same drawer in his filing cabinet. Still unopened and unread. 

“Thanks for the paint,” Satoshi says. 

“Sure,” Aiba says. 

Satoshi stands up against the back wall of the box and his arms fit snugly in the styrofoam. 

“Goodbye,” Satoshi says. 

“Bye.” 

Satoshi closes his eyes. Aiba presses the button on the back of his neck and his body goes stiff. It’s a while before Aiba is able to close the box, but he’s not sure why. It isn’t necessarily a sentimental feeling, but something like one. Or maybe it’s just that he can still hear Nino’s words. 

Wouldn’t it be okay if it’s what Satoshi wants? If they were searching for an original thought and then found one... is it okay to just use it to further their own purposes? What is the point of searching for a being to have their own needs, and then not honoring them when they’re found? 

Aiba closes the box, but he doesn’t call the lab to pick it up yet. He sits down at his computer and begins typing everything that Nino said to him. 

Nino is alive. There is no philosophical debate in Aiba’s mind about that. 

Satoshi is... something different. The painting he finished lies completed against the wall of his bedroom, close to the window where the paint can dry. All of the people he’s painted are alive. Everything he’s touched and felt and been exposed to. 

The reason for the origin of his original thought. 

Aiba takes out his phone and dials Yokoyama’s number. 

Yokoyama answers. 

“I have a question,” Aiba says. 

\---

_We’d like to thank you for taking part in our experiment. Thanks to the data we’ve collected, we’re able to carry on with the development of our original CompaniBots. Inside of this envelope, you’ll find compensation for your participation. As we know you’ve taken time out of your busy lives to make room for our Companion, this is our way of saying thank you._

_If you have any further questions or comments about the trial, please feel free to contact anyone on our team. Contact information is enclosed as well as a release form. We’ll just need one more signature of release so that we can use all of your personal statements and accounts and apply them to future studies._

_Thank you again for your time. We at Companion Robotics could not have done this without you._

There is an empty feeling in Sho’s chest as he reads through the letter. He wonders how many other people felt the same after reading it. How many other people feel like something is missing from their homes and their lives. 

Sho folds the letter and puts it into his top desk drawer. 

“I’m going,” Nino says. 

“What time is it?” Sho asks. 

“It’s already seven,” Nino says. “I should go home. You should go home too.” 

“Sorry you had to do all of my work last week,” Sho says. 

“I’m still doing all of your work, Sho-chan,” Nino says, with half a smile. “See you tomorrow.” 

\---

Officially, it’s become an ongoing experiment. 

Unofficially, Aiba raised the question of the origin of original thoughts and who they belong to. If CR has an original thought, an original idea, they gain proof and documentation that it is their own thought to manipulate. Like a CompaniBot - an original idea turned into a realized machine, Satoshi’s idea should also be preserved. 

Officially, Satoshi said that he wanted to stay with Aiba. 

Unofficially, he wants to stay with Nino. But officially, Nino doesn’t exist, not part of the experiment, not on the records. 

“Are you some kind of stalker?” Nino says when he arrives at his door. Which is fair enough because Aiba is just kind of standing there on his doorstep. 

“You’re going to have to call me pretty much every day to check in,” Aiba says. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

Nino doesn’t see at first, but Satoshi is standing beside him. Satoshi is characteristically quiet, but he steps forward, gives Nino a small nod. 

“I’m _really_ not supposed to be doing this,” Aiba says. 

“I won’t tell anyone,” Nino says, smiling and not taking his eyes off of Satoshi. 

This is what Satoshi wanted. 

“Call me,” Aiba says, warningly. “Every day.” 

“Every day,” Nino repeats. 

Nino still looks a little dazed, like he’s not quite sure what hit him. But they disappear into the apartment together and Aiba gets into his car once they’re inside. Jun’s waiting for him in the passenger seat, looking out the window at the traffic going by. 

“They’re alright?” Jun asks. 

“Yeah,” Aiba says. He starts the car and heads towards the other end of the city, to Sho's place. 

“I knew you’d switch me on again,” Jun says. 

“What?” Aiba asks. “Why?” 

“Because you seriously can’t help yourself.” 

“Yeah well,” Aiba says. “I’m the one who gets to have a cool robot friend.” 

“And what do I get?” 

“You get to have a cool genius friend.” 

“Oh good,” Jun says. “I guess you should introduce me to my cool genius friend then.” 

He’s laughing and it makes Aiba laugh too. Wherever this comes from, he doesn’t understand. These thoughts that he has, or Jun or Satoshi. They’re the same, aren’t they? This desire to live and be alive. The first original question that a robot ever asked. 

They pass by a park and two schools. A shopping mall and bus station. 

“Next,” Aiba says. “I’m going to figure out a way for you to eat. You’re missing out on something really good.” 

“I’d like that,” Jun says. “Thanks.”


End file.
